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           KEDARNATH TRAVEL GUIDE

Kedarnath is a Hindu holy town located in  Uttarakhand. It is a nagar panchayat in
Rudraprayag district. The most remote of the four Char Dham sites, Kedarnath is
located in the Himalayas, about 3584m above sea level near the head of river
Mandakini, and is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks. Kedarnath hosts one
of the holiest Hindu temples and is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrims from all
over the world.

Kedarnath is accessible only after a steep 14 km trek through a paved path (horses
or palanquins are available for rent) from Gaurikund, which is connected by road
from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and other important hill stations of the Garhwal
and Kumaon regions in Uttarakhand. The temple is open only during the months of
April/May(on Akshaya Trithiya) to October/November (closes on Diwali - festival of
light), due to heavy snowfall and extreme cold weather during winter.


PLACE TO VISIT


Kedarnath temple is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is
located atop the Garhwal Himalayan range near the river Mandakini in Kedarnath,
Uttarakhand in India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only
between the end of April to start of November. The temple is not directly accessible
by road and has to be reached by a 13 km uphill trek from Gaurikund. The temple is
believed to have been built by Adi Sankaracharya  and is one of the twelve
Jyothirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines of Lord Shiva. The temple is also one of the
four major sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage

The actual temple is an impressive stone edifice of unknown date. No specific family
of pujaris supervises rituals at Kedarnath, which focus around veneration of the
stone lingam that rests in the inner sanctum of the temple. Behind the temple is the
samadhi mandir of Adi Sankara.